Proteomic spectra of epipelagic copepods

<p><span>We analyzed robustness of species identification based on proteomic composition to data processing and intraspecific variability, specificity and sensitivity of species-markers as well as discriminatory power of proteomic fingerprinting and its sensitivity to phylogenetic distance. Our analysis is based on MALDI-TOF MS data from 32 marine copepod species coming from 13 regions (North and Central Atlantic and adjacent seas). </span>A random forest (RF) model correctly classified all specimens to species level with only small sensitivity to data processing, demonstrating the strong robustness of the method. Compounds with high specificity showed low sensitivity i.e., identification was based on complex pattern-differences rather than on presence of single markers.</p>